Why don't big insurance companies crack down on anti-vaxxers?

[Wanderlust988]

They are clearly the lynchpin in ending this pandemic. One thing people everywhere understand is money, and if insurance companies like Humana, Aetna, UHC, Anthem, Kaiser, etc., start either denying coverage to unvaccinated people and/or doubling or tripling their insurance rates, they have true financial incentive to get vaccinated.

I betcha if employers start telling employees that their health coverage will be double or triple the amount they're paying now, you'll see a lot of jabbing going on!

The Biden admin needs to huddle with big insurance and put an end to this non-sense once and for all! The insurance companies need to become evil again with regard to covid.

[SoCalDavidS]

1. They Figure They'll Just Raise Everybody's Premiums To Pay For All The Covidiots nt

[smirkymonkey]

4. Grrrr!

[OhioChick]

7. This n/t

[sop]

2. Doesn't the Affordable Care Act prevent insurance companies from doing just that?

FOX News will blame Obamacare for the rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths, arguing people don't have an incentive to make better health decisions.

[Tetrachloride]

3. Check the rear view mirrors

Hypothesis:

1. Insurance companies want Republicans in power.

Rationale:

2. Insurance companies do not want risk of Democratic big insurance changes in health and drug care.

3. Insurance companies could suffer under the other categories if reforms were enacted: casualty ( auto , fire, fire, fire, flooding, general storm damage, crime), pension and life insurance.

3a. actuaries and related occupations may enlighten us on my hypothesis.

[Tadpole Raisin]

5. You aren't punished if you don't get your other vaccines or boosters but if it's formally

approved and under a national emergency declared by the President maybe they could - don’t know. It would create great blow back and accusations of deep state blah blah.

Private companies may solve the problem if they require it. I can’t wait for people who are fired or quit trying to sue the employers.

Good luck with that!

[Earth-shine]

6. A lot of anti-vaxxers might not have health insurance. nt

[nycbos]

8. After the vaccine gets fully approved I would imagine they are going to do that exactly.

[Deminpenn]

12. +1

FDA full approval of the vaccines is what's holding a lot of things up. Once the FDA does approve all the vaccines, my bet is that employers, schools, government at all levels will make covid vaccines mandatory.

Insurance companies will probably amend their coverages to exclude paying for treatments of unvaccinated individuals who cannot prove a medical reason or condition for remaining unvaccinated.

It will be interesting to see what Medicare does on this, too. If CMS decides Medicare won't pay for costs associated with covid contracted by the unvaccinated, that might be a real game-changer.

[multigraincracker]

9. The "Bible" for insurance company rates are

actuarial reports. These are based on powerful stats. I'd love to see the latest of these reports on cost of covid.

[HockeyMom]

10. Medicare? Medicade?

Original Medicare asks no questions or requires anything. They do not know if you are a smoker or obese to raise rates.

If Medicare Premiums are automatically taken out of a person's Social Security Check, there is the "Hold Harmless Clause", which states the SS check cannot be lowered for increased premiums.

Probably a moot point given about 80% of the elderly are vaccinated, but do you still want to punish the unvaccinated 20%?

[Deminpenn]

13. Medicare could decide not to cover the costs of treatment

for unvaccinated who do not have a specific medical reason for being so. Or they could decide to lower reimbursements to doctors and hospitals.

[area51]

11. "... insurance companies need to become evil again...."

They never stopped being evil.